- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
AMID growing protests in Birmingham over LGBT education, the mayor of London has once again reiterated his backing for same-sex education in schools.
Writing to headteachers, London mayor Sadiq Khan said young people should be able to learn about “healthy relationships of all kinds.”
In his letter, Khan wrote: “Our schools must be places where all children feel safe and included, regardless of their gender identity and sexual orientation or that of their families,” he said in the letter.
“Young people should be able to learn about healthy relationships of all kinds, and that includes LGBTQ+ relationships.
“I am proud to be mayor of a city that embraces differences and celebrates diversity.
“Bigotry, intolerance and discrimination have no place in London.
“This is why you have my total and full support as you equip students to make safe and informed decisions, show that LGBTQ+ relationships are part of everyday life, and ensure that all young Londoners can feel proud of who they are.”
Demonstrations against LGBT education has been raging in Birmingham since March, with parents saying the lessons weren’t age-appropriate.
Protests are once again set to start today (13).
Shakeel Afsar, the protest co-ordinator, said the campaign against Anderton Park School in Sparkhill will continue as they were displeased with the school’s stance that “it’s okay to be gay.”
“We were intending not to resume the protests but the head teacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson recently tweeted an image of more LGBT books she had got for the school,” Afsar was quoted as saying by the Birmingham Mail. “I was inundated with calls from angry parents who saw this as provocative, so we will be back again on Friday.”
An injunction secured by Birmingham City Council that imposed an exclusion zone around Anderton Park Primary prevents protesters from gathering outside the school. But Afsar said protests would resume outside the injunction’s exclusion zone.
